Dying Embers
by Lil'Conqueror
Summary: Elena was raised into thinking good amount of effort always paid off in the end. Damon, however, wasn't so naive. x Set after the End of the Affair. x Delena!


My verison of how the End of the Affair should have went. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.

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><p>When Elena had dragged her feet to Damon's waiting Camaro, she felt dead. Even more so than when she first arrived in Chicago, searching for her beloved boyfriend. She felt cold, weak and helpless, numb even. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, behind her rib cage. It even felt like it was breaking, slowly, deliberately, wanting her to suffer just a tad bit longer than what was neccessary. Her mind, however, wasn't so quick to grasp the sudden change in her behavior. When Elena pulled the door open, she slid her body in silently, not even sparing Damon a glance.<p>

Giving it another minute, Damon bit his tongue from questioning what had transpired with her and Stefan. But when her motionless form gave away nothing to her thoughts, Damon grew slightly agitated and through her a look.

"What happend?" He bit out, although as an after thought to her expression, he added, "Are you alright?"

Elena scoffed; tears bubbling up underneath her eyes, threatening to spill over. Was she alright? What kind of question was that? Did she look alright? Was her lack of words no idication at all to what he might've thought happend with her and his brother? Was she that terrible of an actor?

She paused in mid-thought, back tracking. She wasn't acting. None of her feelings and thoughts were false. It was all real; very painfully and utterly real.

Inhaling deeply to control herself, Elena ignored his probbing eyes and stared out the window.

"Just drive." Her word was final.

Gritting his teeth stubbornly, he started the car without another word and took off; his foot pressing alittle more forcivefully than legal. But he didn't care. The silent treatment he was getting from Elena, after the huge risk he took for her to see Stefan was hardly called for. For God's sake, he put his neck on the line, treading on thin ice just by being in the presence of Klaus and she wanted to thank him by becoming this bitch? No. He wouldn't allow it. Not after everything he's done for her, not now, when clearly she needed someone more than ever. If she wanted to through a hissy fit, she would do it when he wasn't around. _If _after tonight he decided she should be alone. And currently, she seemed to be in no position to be alone.

It was silent in his Camaro, but only until he deliberately missed the turn to Mystic Falls.

"You missed the turn." Elena dead-panned, still looking away.

Damon snorted, though not slowing down in the slightest. Going aleast 20 miles over the speed limit. Not like he cared if he got pulled over or not. Compulsion worked wonders for vampires.

Noticing his lack of attention, Elena whipped her head around angerly. This time, Damon was able to see her puffy red eyes, rimmed with the onslot of fresh tears every now and again. Though her hair was in slight disaray, her chocolate orbs bloodshot and clouded, her posture and expression not at all sweet as he remembered of the old Elena, she looked beautiful. He wouldn't deny it. But it was because of why she looked this way, that reminded Damon why he was doing this to begin with, and thus, he turned back away from her and focused back on the road ahead.

"Are you listening to me?" She hissed under her breath, narrowing her eyes, "I said you missed the turn."

Shrugging indifferently, Damon smirked humorlessly.

"Oh, I heard ya darling. But if I do recall, you ordered me to drive. Don't get upset with me if you didn't specify where you wanted me to drive _to_."

Elena growled warningly and tried the door, but found Damon had locked it in his attempt to erase any suicidal thoughts penetrating her mind. Elena wanted to murder him. It would be so simple. All she'd have to do is jerk the wheel and they'd both be engine first wrapped around that delectable tree at the foot of the steep hill off to the side. Well, he'd probably come out of it unscathed, his wounds would have already healed by the time he forced his way out of his car. So maybe she'd be murdering herself. . .Somehow, that didn't bother her as much as it should have.

She clenched her teeth, "I thought it would've gone without saying." She hissed. "But apprently you really are as dumb as you look."

Adding afterwards, "I want to go home. Now, Damon."

Her argument, to Damon's ears, felt short and invalid.

"Oh relax sweetheart, we need to get out of Dooms Falls anyways. Too much glum and not enough fun, ya know?" He forced a smile on his face and flashed it down at her, but she easily avoided his gaze. And that alone made him drop his act.

"C'mon Elena, I can't help you if you won't aleast _try _to oblige my efforts." He sighed, the sound exhausted.

Elena scowled from her seat. "Go to hell, Damon."

That was it. Slamming his foot down on the brake, the car jolted to a stop and made Elena fling forward, before she fell back with a thud. Giving him an incrediculous look, Elena watched as he unlocked the doors and got out of the car, slamming the door behind him in irritation. The car itself vibrated from the force, before it finally fell silent. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Elena got out of the car as well, slamming her own door.

Not sparing her a glance, he began to walk down the abandon street, the doppleganger hot on his heels.

"Where are you going?" She called out, wrapping her arms around herself as a gust of wind blew past them, making her suddenly aware of the short strapless dress she wore. "Damon!"

Abruptly, he stopped and through his arm back, before wrenching it forward again, something silver and shiney being thrown out of his hand and it took a moment for Elena to realize that it was his keys he'd thrown so carelessly out into the wilderness. Elena gasped, her mouth falling open in shock and horro, before she lashed out entirely.

"What the _hell _is your problem! Do you have any idea what you've just _done_?"

Damon laughed, the sound cold and hard.

"_My _problem? Do you wanna know what my problem is, _Elena_? You! You're my God damn problem!" He started, his body whipping around swiftly to scream in her face, their faces inches from each other. "You have been my fucking problem since the moment Stefan left! Ok Elena? Stefan's _gone_! He doesn't want to be found, because if he did, he sure is showing it! You're _wasting _your time pursuing someone who not only doesn't want to be found, but does not want to be saved. I cannot believe you'd be so _naive _as to not believe in the truth that is so plaining laid out before you! Grow up, Elena, _fuck!_" Damon cursed under his breath, but she had still heard it. He raked a fluid hand roughly through his dark locks, before he sighed and turned back around.

Elena's breath hitched as tears fell silently down her cheeks. How long had Damon been keeping feelings from her? Had he been holding out on for her sake?

Turning back around, Damon's eyes softened considerbly at the sight of her defeated expression. Taking the neccessary steps to reach her, Damon took her into his arms and embraced her tightly. Stroking the back of her head gently, he breathed her scent in deeply.

"Please, _Please _don't give me that look, Elena." Damon whispered, his voice crackly ever so slightly, it left Elena confused. "I want more than _anything _to see you smile that care free smile of yours. . .But you can't be so oblivious anymore. I can't keep withholding the truth from you, just because you can't handle it. You _have _to deal with it. This isn't something you have a choice in, I won't allow you to brood so selfishly. You have to move on."

Without retorting with an argument, Elena tried a different approach.

"It hurts too much, Damon. _God, _it hurts."

For a moment, Damon wasn't sure if she was actually talking to him or the big Man himself.

Holding her more closely, Damon felt her arms clutch him right back, as if afraid to let go. "We can't see you suffer like this anymore, love. Can you imagine how this effects your brother, Jeremy? Ric? Your friends? They can't stand to see you in so much pain because of your unwillingness to let go of something you don't really have control over."

Elena tried to shake her head, but it was pressed too tightly to Damon's chest to have any sort of effect.

"I didn't want to let go, because a part of me wanted to believe that this was only a nightmare, and that I would wake up and Stefan would be right there." She tried to reason with him, tried to get him to understand her side of things before assuming she brought this pain upon herself willingly.

Grasping her arms firmly, Damon leaned away from her at a good eye contact distance. His gaze was hard, but pleading with her to understand his words. Her heart leaped in her throat and she felt her body stiffen under his intense gaze.

Damon spoke, the words coming off in a low murmur, but they were still there, as if they'd be shouted in her face.

"Stefan _isn't_ coming home, Elena." He'd made sure to put the emphazies where it needed to be. "If not for the sake of your friends or even me, you owe it to yourself to move on. In the end, I believe even Stefan would want you to do so."

"I-I can't do it on my o-own." She finally whispered back, her posture relaxing into exhaustion.

Without batting an eye lash, Damon was more than ready to reply. "You aren't alone, sweety. Havn't you realized yet? I'm always going to be here for you, Elena, _always_." He chuckled at the end, a light smile touching his face, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You say that now, but what if you end up like _him_?" Elena suggested timidly, now suddenly afraid to speak his name. "What if you-"

Damon snarled viciously, gripping her arms tighter causing her to wince. "I'm _not _my brother. I would _never _leave you." Not for anything, or anyone.

Smiling tentatively, Elena's eye lids sagged slightly. Smoothing his twisted face, Damon made a swift move and abruptly had Elena's body cradled to his chest. Not even shocked by the sudden action, Elena aloud her body to shut down as she pressed her face to his muscular chest.

"I believe you." Elena finally murmured sleepily, snuggling closer to his warmth subconciously. "Why're you so good to me, Damon?"

He knew she ment it as rehtorical, but Damon couldn't find it in himself to ignore it.

"Obviously we're ment for each other." He admitted, only half joking.

Nonetheless, Elena laughed groggily, a light smile touching her lips and Damon smiled too. How he'd long to hear that musical sound oncemore; how ironic he'd had heard tonight of all nights. Faintly, he'd heard her reply back to his comment, but he quickly shushed her.

"Sleep, my dear. I promise, everything will be alright." And it would, he would make sure of it. Stefan or no Stefan, he wouldn't allow Elena to feel upset over something that wasn't her fault.

Speeding towards his blue Camaro, Damon easily opened the passanger side door and gently laid her down in the seat. Shutting the door gently, he flashed to the driver's side and glided into his seat, not at all suprised by his keys in the ignition.

But it was Elena's sleep talk that caught him off guard.

"Damon," She whispered weakly, her soft snoring the only indication she was still asleep. "Please don't leave me. . . I love you."

Damon's gaze softened considerbly, as he stared down at her. Leaning over slightly, he placed a light kiss upon her head, before starting the car.

"You're a dumbass, Brother." He shook his head, stealing his ice blue orbs away from the sleeping beauty.

Somewhere in the darkness, a lone figure concured.

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><p>Not my original thought to this story, but it came out fairly well if I do say so myself. :) Reviews are greatly accepted and appreciated, thank you.<p> 


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